The Kovea Hydra – Showtime Look

I'm inwards the procedure of reviewing the Hydra stove from Kovea.

The Kovea Hydra

My review volition live featured adjacent calendar week on SectionHiker.com, a pop hiking together with backpacking blog.  In the hateful time, I thought I'd postal service a sort of "first look" at the Hydra together with include about things that volition supplement my total review.  When my review is ready, I'll postal service a link hither on my blog.

UPDATE 22 November 2016:  My completed review of the Kovea Hydra is straightaway available on SectionHiker.com

The Hydra comes every bit a nice, consummate laid that includes a fuel pump, fuel bottle, repair tool, estrus reflector, windscreen, spare parts/repair kit, plastic difficult case, a canister correspond inverted use, a fuel bottle bag, together with of course of report the burner.  Many stoves are sold without a fuel bottle, together with thence it's a overnice characteristic to convey a fuel bottle included amongst the Hydra.

A Kovea Hydra boxed set.

The bottle pocketbook is a form of interesting thing.  I haven't seen this amongst other stoves.  Most people deport the heart inwards the bottle when out on the trail.  The stove pocketbook protects the heart spell inwards transport.  I intend this is a proficient idea.

The fuel bottle pocketbook of a Kovea Hydra

The pocketbook is sized for the included bottle.  You tin position taller bottles inwards the bag, but they volition stick out a bit.  Inasmuch every bit the heart is what actually needs the protection, I suppose i could only sideslip the pocketbook on over the transcend leaving the bottom of the fuel bottle exposed.

The heart volition stick out of the bottle pocketbook when used amongst taller fuel bottles.

The Hydra has 3 claims to fame:  It's quiet, it's compact, together with it industrial plant amongst either canister gas or white gasoline without needing whatever hardware changes or adjustments.

And compact it is indeed.  There are really few white gasoline type stoves that volition crease upwards this pocket-sized together with check inwards my hand.  The Hydra is smaller than a 110g sized canister of gas.

The Kovea Hydra is a report inwards compactness.

While it is indeed compact when it is folded, the Hydra expands out amongst impressively broad pot supports that tin handgrip about pretty big pots, upwards to well-nigh five L, mayhap more.

The Kovea Hydra amongst the pot supports fully deployed.

It tin also back upwards pots downwards to every bit pocket-sized every bit 500 or together with thence ml.

A 550 ml mug type pot on the Kovea Hydra.  Note how broad the pot supports are.

True to its claims, the Hydra actually is a placidity stove.  It's non every bit placidity every bit a non-pressurized alcohol stove, but for a canister gas/white gas stove, it's pretty quiet.  The hush-hush is the agency that fuel is distributed together with dispersed through multiple slits on the burner's periphery.  I don't believe I've seen a burner caput similar this before.

The really placidity slit burner of the Kovea Hydra.

In my testing, the burner was placidity amongst both canister together with white gas, together with the transition betwixt the ii required no changes to the burner other than to swap out the fuels.  Both modes, canister gas together with white gas, worked really well.

On high, the burner did brand to a greater extent than noise, but for a stove that is every bit powerful every bit the Hydra, it actually is quiet.

The Kovea Hydra on high.

I'm non certain that I would depict the Hydra every bit a gourmet cook's stove, but I was able to larn a workable simmer out of the stove.  The Hydra doesn't convey a just controlled flame, but if you lot monkey amongst it a chip amongst moderate to depression line per unit of measurement area inwards the tank, you lot tin larn a reasonable simmer.

A relatively depression boil on the Kovea Hydra

The flaming command was sufficient such that I could actually simmer my noodles together with larn them done just the agency I similar them, amongst lots of H2O absorbed.

A ramen noodle dish cooked on the Kovea Hydra.

So, there's a really brief start await at the Kovea Hydra.  There volition live to a greater extent than inwards the total review where I'll larn into the results of my testing.  Especially of import volition live the recommendations I brand based on current of air testing; pay closed attending to those.

I give cheers you lot for joining me,

HJ

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